Flashlight



W. BRONIE.

FLASHLIGHT APPLICATION FILED OCT 22,1919.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

N xw NW Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BRONIE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR- TO NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW. YORK.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BRONIE, a citizen'of the United States of America, residin at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and tate of- New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flashlights, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object the improvement of the flashlight shown in the atent to Hubert No. 1,220,634, patented arch 27, 1917. Y

One of the objects of the present invention resides in the provision of a means for preventing of short-'circuiting of the lower cells when the lamp is removed. from its socket and the batteries are impelled forwardly by the bottom spring. With the Hu- 3 bert construction it has been found that the bent contact strip is liable to be brought into contact with the edge of the zinc cup of the upper cell and thereby establish a closed circuit through the lower cells. It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a simple means to prevent such short-circuits.

Other objects of the present invention reside in the improvement of the contact box of the type shown, described and claimed in the copending applicatiqn o'f A G. Arnoll, Serial No. 324,487,'file September 18, 1919. In general the mode oi operation of circuitcontrolling device is similar to the Arnoll construction. It, however, presents certain detailed advantages which will be set forth in the accompanying specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a centralilongitudinal section of a tubular flashlight embodying my invention.

'Fig. 2 is an elevation of a part of the tubular light showing a top view of the contact box.

. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the box, the section being taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the contact box with the slide in central off locked position.

Fig. 5 is a similar longitudinal view of the contact box but with the slide in tilted locked position.

Fig. 6 is a similar longitudinal view of the contact box with the slide in tilted position but unlocked and free for on and off flashing.

Figs. 7 and 8 are top plan views of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented, Aug. 23, 1921.

Application filed October 22, 1919. Serial 1%. 832,382.

box with the slides in position corresponding to their position in Figs. 5 and 6.

n more detail the tubular casing 10 is of fiber and has at its ends threaded metallic collars 11 and 12 which receive and retain bottom cap 13 and flare front member 14. Upon the flare front the lens is supported by the usual lens ring. A spring 15 is within ca 13 and serves the double purpose of estabishing a contact with the zinc cap of the lowermost battery and for urging the batteries into close contact with one another and in contact with the central terminal of lamp 16. The lamp has a conductive lam socket 17 carried by reflector 18 but insu ated therefrom by a washer 19. A circular contact plate 20 is insulated from reflector 18 by an insulating disk 20 This construction is old as shown in Hubert patent previously mentioned. Instead of crimping the-lamp socket member directly over the plate 20 provide a tubular member 21 havlng. inwardly bent flanges at its upper end which are engaged by the outwardly extending lower flanges of the lamp socket. In this manner the parts are retained together and an electric circuit established from the outer terminal of the lamp to contact plate 20. The tubular member is designed to surround the central terminal of the lamp and-to extend close to but not actually to contact with the wax of the upper battery. The tubular member is concentric about the central electrode of the upper battery and its lower edge is below the top of this electrode. 22 is a contact strip bent inwardly at its upper end to lead current from the contact box to the conductor plate. This is the same construction as employed in the Hubert patent.

It will be understood that if the lamp were removed from the lamp socket or if the base of the bulb becomes broken the batteries 23, 24, 25. will be impelled forward in the case with the possibility, if tubular member 21 were absent, of the zinc 26 of the upper battery mutilating or .forcing aside the paper tube 27 and coming into contact with bent strip 22. Should this occur with the contact box closed, a short circuit would be established as follows: from strip 22 through the contact box through strip 28 to ring 11, spring 15, zinc electrode of cell 25, cell 25, carbon electrode of cell 25 to zinc of cell 24, cell 24, carbon of cell 24 to zinc 26 of cell 23 and back to strip 22.

'zinc26 from coming into contact with strip 22. a

I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to prevent this short circuiting by means of an engaging hook on contact strip 22. This is shown in patent to lV-acker No. 1,312,220. The present construction is an improvement over the Wacker construction in that it permits the removal of the battery through the front of the case by the simple straightening of the strip 22.

Contact-boas.

The contact box comprises va 'sheet metal casing 30 secured to the central part of the fiber tube by rivets 31. One of these rivets forms a fastening for the end of conducting strip 28 thereby leading current from the conducting strip to the casing. (See Fig. 2.)

The contact box has a longitudinal slot 32 in-the upper part thereof. This slot is best shown in Fig. 8. The slot is of such width as to receive with a close fit and guide a sliding and tilting circuitcontrolling member 33. At the ends of the slot 32 are tongues 34'and 35 which extend inwardly toward the cut-away portion of the casing. These tongues are of unequal length, 35 being the longer (see Fig. 8) and are of stiif -metal having a minimum of spring. The

circuit-controlling member 32v ma be of struck up sheet metal or solid an has an arcuate portion extending through the slot having serrations 36 for a purpose which will hereafter be described. The lower edge of the circuit-controlling member 33 has projecting portions in the form of rails 37 which extend laterally under the lon itudinal edges of the slot 32 and thereby retain the members 32 in the casing. (See Fig. 3.) These rails may be integral with member 33 or soldered or welded thereto. The member 33 is also apertured at each end in substantial alinement with the top of the casing, as shown at 38 and 39, with rectangular openings which are adaptedto permit the entrance of the tongues 34 and 35 as the member 33 is slid back and forth on the casing. \Vith the parts in the position shown in Fig. 4 both tongues 34 and 35 project into the rectangular openings 38 and would break the circuit.

the circuit the operator retracts member 33 position of parts as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the right-hand tongue 35 forms a fixed fulcrum about which the circuit-controlling member 33 may be tilted. The point of fulcrum is about a line on the lower surface of tongue 35 and this construction presents advantages over the prior Arnoll construction in that the tilting member 33 does not have an end elevated materially above the top of the casing upon being tilted, thereby avoiding an objectionable protruding sharp corner which might lacerate the hands or catch upon the clothing of the user. The tongue construction also minimizes the sliding movement of member 33 which is also advantageous.

Underlying thecontact member 33 is a reversely bent spring blade 40 which I will hereafter term an automatically returning contact member. Member 40 has its shorter arm bifurcated resting upon the fiber tube, the bifurcated construction avoiding contact with rivet 41 to which strip 22 is attached. The longer blade extends under the bottom of member 33 and resiliently urges this member into upper non-tilted position. This blade is also adapted when member 33 is sufficiently tilted to make contact with a struck up portion 44 of contact strip 22, thereby closing the-circuit to the lamp. It will be understood that current flows from strip 28 to case 30, thence to spring 40 through struck up portion 44, con;

tact strip 22 and through the lamp in the usual manner. The ralls 37 are provided with downward projections 43 which snap into notches 42 in the longer blade of member 40 and serve to lock members 33 and 40 againstrelative sliding movement when these parts are in certain positions. In Fig. 4 the coiiperating notches 42 and projections 43 lock the member 33 against sliding movement and tongues 34, 35, prevent it being depressed or tilted. This figure shows a lockedopen circuit position of the contact devices. In Fig. 5, member 33 has been retracted, then advanced to register notches 42 and projection 43 and to concurrently engage tongue 34 with one of the serrations 36. In this position of parts the circuit is established and retained. 42 and 43 preventthe relative sliding of members 33 and 40 and tongue 34 and serrations 36 prevent the upward tilting of member 33 which In order to open to the right disestablishing lock 42-43 and bar can be tilted to establish the circuit and when pressure thereon is removed the member returns automatically to upper nontilted position. With parts as shown in this figure 43 is out of register with 42, thereby not looking the member 33against sliding movement and the serrations 36 are clear of the end of tongue 34 permiting the member '33 to be tilted upwardly by the automatically returning contact member 40.

It will be understood that my invention may be modified in various ways as will occur to those skilled in the art. What I claim as my invention is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

.I claim:

1. A contact device for flashlights comprising in combination a slotted casing, an automatically returning contact member, a circuit controlling member mounted on said gising for both sliding and tilting movement, said member in its tilted position being adapted to shift the-contact member to circuit closing position, and a tongue on the casing adapted to prevent tilting of the circuit controlling member when the same has been slid to certain positions on the casing.

2. A contact device for flashlights com prising in combination a' slotted casing, an automatically returning contact member, a circuit controlling member mounted on said casing for both sliding and tilting"move-, ment, said member in its tilted position being adapted to shift the contact member to circuit closing position, and a tongue on the casing adapted to engage with the circuit controlling member when the same is in tilted position to retain the same in tilted position. I v

3. A contact device for flashlights comprising in combination a slotted casing, an automatically returning contact member, a circuit controlling member mounted on said casing for both sliding and tilting movement. said member in its tilted position being adapted to shift the contact member to circuit closing position, and a tongue on the casing adapted to form a fulcrum for the circuit controlling member when the same is tilted.

4. A contact device for flashlights comprising in combination a. slotted casing, an automatically returning contact member, a. circuit controlling member mounted on said casing for both sliding and tilting movement, said member in its tilted position being adapted to shift the contact member to c1rcuit closing position, and a pair of tongues on the casing adapted to cooperate with the member and prevent the depression of the same through a slot in the casing, when the member is in a predetermined position with respect to'the casing.

5. A contact device for flashlights comprising in combination a slotted casing, an automatically returning contact member, a circuit controlling member mounted on said casing for both sliding and tilting movement, said member in its tilted position being adapted to shift the contact member to circuit closing position, said circuit controlling member having an openin on one end in substantial alinement with t e top of the casing and a tongue on the casing adapted to project into said opening and form a solid fulcrum for the tiltable circuit controlling member when the member is slid to a tiltable ling member. having openings .on each end.

thereof in substantial alinement with the top of the casing, a pair of'tongues on the casing and adapted to project into said openings when the slide is in substantially central position to prevent the tilting of the slide or the vertical depression of the same through the slot in the casing.

7 A contact device for flashlights comprising in combination a slotted casing, an automatically returning contact member, a circuit controlling member mounted on said casing for back sliding and tilting movement, said member being adapted in i a tilted movement to shift the contact member to circuit closing position, means for locking said circuit controlling member in the tilted. circuit closing position, said means comprising cooperating means on the circuit controlling member and the casing and coiiperating means on the circuit controlling member and contact member.

8. A contact device for flashlights comprising in combination a slotted casing, an automatically returning contact member, a circuit controlling member mounted on said casing for both sliding and tilting movement, said member being adapted in its tilted position to shift the contact member to circuit closing position, and means associated with the contact member for locking said circuit controlling member against sliding movement in either untilted position in which the circuit is maintained open, or in tilted circuit closing position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WILLIAM BRONIE. 

